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I usually make a couple vegan dishes for Thanksgiving, but ironically this is the first year I’m actually making Thanksgiving-inspired dishes, instead of my usual go-to’s. I’ve rounded up some yummy recipes, that I can’t wait to try next week. All recipes are vegan & gluten free. What are your favorite Thanksgiving dishes?

1. I don’t match my swimsuits or mani-pedis. These are two examples where you have the most room to have fun with fashion. I love mixing and matching prints and complimenting colors.

2. I’ve been a vegetarian for 17 years, and a vegan for 7 years, and within the past year I became gluten-free. Since I was a child, I never understood the concept of eating meat, and I always went with it to it. I’ve eliminated things like refined sugar, and artificial coloring, because I like sticking to whole foods, and lucky for me, I’ve never met a vegetable I didn’t like. 😉

3. I love baking and decorating. Before an exam in college, baking was always the best stress-reliever for me. I was always whipping up my the best ever banana bread recipe (no really, it’s called that) or pumpkin chocolate chip cookies from this cookbook. Styling cupcakes, a coffee table or an ensemble share a creative aspect that I love doing.

4. I love to organize. This totally ties in with the fact of starting my own personal style consultation business. See my closet organization tips here. I’m definitely OCD when it comes to my closet. It’s organized by category, color and then sub-categories. These lucite organizers keep my nail polish and lipstick addictions under wraps.

5. I subscribe to 19 magazines monthly. I can’t get enough knowledge and inspiration from fashion, home decor, and fitness. I tear out pages that inspire me and place them in a binder (trailing back to the OCD), it serves as inspiration for outfits, decorating, and new toning routines and recipes.

I’ve been making my way through Kimberly Snyder’s newest book, The Beauty Detox Foods. It’s filled with superfood recipes to promote healthy skin and hair and transform your body. This recipe is full of a variety of different flavors and great to make ahead and store in individual containers.

Happy 2013! I appreciate all of your support during 2012, and I’m excited for new opportunities in the new year, as the end of this month marks the first birthday of The Subtle Statement!

I’m ringing in the new year in sunny Florida, which is quite a nice change from the snowed in streets of Pennsylvania. Nothing makes you appreciate warm weather like coming from heavy snow fall and 20 degrees!

I’m beginning the year with The Whole 30 Program. I eat healthy most of the time, but around the holidays I tend to slack off with too many treats and snacking, so I want to start fresh, because I feel healthiest (both inside and out) while I’m eating clean. The guidelines are pretty strict, but the explanation of “It’s For Your Own Good,” really motivated me. It’s only 30 days.. I can do this.

Being a vegan, makes the program more challenging because it does focus heavily on protein from animal sources, such as meat, seafood and eggs. Grain-free tempeh, edamame, and a generous amount of veggies, fruits, and healthy fats will be the foundation of the month’s meals. I’m up for the challenge.

Have you finished or plan to start The Whole 30? If so, I’d love to hear your feedback!

I have a strong interest in maintaining a whole foods lifestyle and the benefits it provides. I’m always researching and reading new books on different approaches and diets to see which ones work best for me. It’s important to me to incorporate super foods into my diet, because of their amazing benefits.

Lucy Danziger, the Editor-in-Chief of Self Magazine, created the Drop 10 Diet: Add to your Plate to Lose the Weight. The basis of the diet is incorporating one or more of 20 super foods into your daily meals. The 1600-calorie per day diet includes Breakfast: 350 calories, Lunch: 450 calories, Snack: 150 calories, Dinner: 450 calories, and 200 Happy Calories per day. The book includes recipes and meal ideas, but is completely flexible, not sticking to a particular “meal plan” or eliminating certain foods after a specific time. I began following the concept of the diet this week. The recipes are very filling, and don’t leave me feeling hungry in between meals.

As I have shared before, as much of a health nut as I am, I have a serious “faux” sweet tooth. The 200 “happy calories” per day let’s me get my sugar fix and stay satisfied. The perfect balance! Depriving myself of any “junk” foods, only results in whipping up a batch of vegan chocolate chip cookies and having one too many. (i use the term “faux” sweet tooth; though the sweets I eat are vegan & whole foods (no processed ingredients here!).. as like any other food, they aren’t exactly healthy when they aren’t consumed in moderation.) The Drop 10 Diet leaves plenty of room for creativity, and even lists possible options to choose from at a variety of restaurant locations. Once you learn which foods have great “fat-burning” properties, it’s simple to incorporate them into any type of diet. The Stuffed Sweet Potato was delicious! I from a recipe on Happy Healthy Life.

Don’t forget about dessert! I was excited to find that the Chocolate Chip Cookie Pie from Chocolate Covered Katie rings in right around 200 calories, making it the perfect “happy calories” treat. It’s pretty amazing.. would you believe that the main ingredient is chickpeas? Trust me, you wouldn’t believe if you tried it.

I love trying new recipes with seasonal fruits and vegetables. Recipes with lavender has always sprung my curiosity. To test out the fragrant flower, here are a few recipes to challenge your taste buds

I woke and didn’t have much of an appetite until around noon. I drank my breakfast smoothie then. I had a late lunch juice a few hours later but only wanted something light, so I mixed the packet with liquid and I didn’t add any fruit. For a snack, I ate a raw Goji Granola Bar. Around dinner, I felt a little lightheaded, so I ate banana slices dipped in Plain Soy Greek Yogurt, for added probiotics, and drank half of a portion of my dinner juice. Today I’m craving steamed kale and tempeh, (still no sweets cravings!)

The perfect combination of yogurt, layered with fresh fruit and granola is a hard treat to resist. I’m all for the health benefits of probiotics, but the 18+ grams of sugar per serving is a major downside (probiotic supplements are a calorie-free alternative). What may seem like a “healthy” breakfast or dessert, can surely be filled with added sugars and unwanted calories (at least vegan options). After discovering Chef Chloe’s vegan blog, I had to try her recipe for Summer Smoothie Parfaits. I added frozen strawberries and almond milk, and refrigerated overnight for a refreshing breakfast the next day, sans sugar. I was surprised to find out that the taste and texture were almost identical to yogurt! So yummy!